Most Israelis and Palestinians support a two-state solution
(JNS.org) The majority of Israelis and Palestinians still support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to a new survey by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.
The Palestinian-Israeli Pulse poll surveyed 1,270 Palestinians and 1,184 Israelis on their views of a theoretical peace agreement and perceptions of one another.
Only 39 percent of Palestinians and 46 percent of Israelis would support a proposed nine-point peace deal that would include; demilitarizing a Palestinian state, Israel withdrawing to pre-1967 lines, and dividing Jerusalem to become east and west capitals for Palestine and Israel, respectively.
Secular Israeli Jews were more likely (56 percent) to support a peace deal than traditionalists (35 percent).
A majority of both Israeli Jews (52 percent) and Palestinians (62 percent) blame each other for why previous peace negotiations failed.
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Hamas threatens to abduct Israeli soldiers, ‘unleash volcano’
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Hamas on Sunday threatened to abduct Israeli soldiers, showcasing two “prison cells” built especially for future Israeli captives.
The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, held a rally in Rafah on Sunday, honoring three senior operatives, Muhammad Abu Shamalah, Raed al-Attar and Muhammad Barhoum, killed during Operation Protective Edge waged in the summer of 2014.
Hundreds of armed Hamas terrorists participated in the rally, where weapons and rockets were put on display, as were the jail cells. Both “cells” included Hebrew writing indicating they were intended “for enemy prisoners.”
“The siege will not prevent our brigades from developing their abilities,” Hamas military wing spokesman Abu Obeida remarked, referring to a blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by Israel. “It [the siege] will not help the current calm continue. Whoever awakens our wrath will unleash a volcano.”
“We will continue our struggle (against Israel) until we are victorious,” he declared.
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Trump foreign policy adviser fights anti-Semitism allegations
(JNS.org) A top foreign policy adviser to Republican nominee Donald Trump is fighting back against accusations that he made anti-Semitic remarks about the Holocaust while serving at the Pentagon during President George W. Bush’s administration.
Joseph Schmitz is one of five foreign policy advisers picked by the Trump campaign earlier this year. When Schmitz served as inspector general of the Department of Defense during the Bush administration, he had allegedly boasted that one of his successes was in “firing the Jews,” according to complaint records obtained by McClatchy.
Schmitz also allegedly lectured an employee “on the details of concentration camps and how the ovens were too small to kill six million Jews,” stated a complaint by one of three former colleagues claiming Schmitz openly offended several minority groups.
However, Schmitz said in an email statement that the allegations are “preposterously false and defamatory because, among other reason(s), I am quite proud of the Jewish heritage of my wife of 38 years.” He later clarified that his wife’s maternal grandmother was Jewish.
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Family of fallen IDF soldier urges increased pressure on Hamas
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The family of Givati Brigade Lt. Hadar Goldin, who fell in battle in 2014’s Operation Protective Edge and whose remains are being held in the Gaza Strip, issued a statement on Thursday calling on the Israeli government to consider possible pressure tactics that could be used to retrieve information from Hamas about the location of Goldin’s remains.
The family asked for an urgent cabinet meeting in which lawmakers would discuss the conditions afforded to security prisoners in Israel, and the policy of returning deceased terrorists’ bodies to their families as tools that could be leveraged to obtain information from Hamas about Goldin and Golani Brigade Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, who was also killed in the campaign and whose body is also held by Hamas.
“The time has come for the government of Israel to internalize the fact that it has the tools to put pressure on Hamas to return the bodies of Oron Shaul and of Hadar Goldin,” the Goldin family said in the statement.
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Uber buys Israeli autonomous driving startup for $680 million
(JNS.org) The ride-sharing service Uber is purchasing the Israeli startup Otto Motors, which converts regular trucks into autonomous ones, for $680 million, Israel Hayom reported.
Otto, founded by Israeli entrepreneur Lior Ron and other former employees of Google, Apple and Tesla, manufactures artificial intelligence, cameras and sensors that can be connected to a vehicle and give it the capability to operate without a driver. The startup is currently testing trucks with the high-tech capability in the San Francisco Bay area.
Otto’s technology could revolutionize the trucking industry, especially since one in three truckers currently are involved in serious accidents each year. The technology can “provide a path to sustainable commercial transportation,” Otto’s online blog states.
Uber is not the only American company acquiring an Israeli startup in the realm of autonomous driving. Earlier this week, the Ford Motor Co. announced it had acquired SAIPS, an Israeli startup focusing on self-driving technology.
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